female Rose-breasted Grosbeak

I have been waiting for the arrival of a Rose-breasted Grosbeak and yesterday one arrived! However it was not the handsome male with its beautiful rose coloured breast, but instead a rather plain, uninteresting female arrived yesterday afternoon and also again this morning just a few minutes ago. Hopefully its male counterpart is nearby and it will arrive soon!? 

When the male finally arrives I shall post its picture here as an update!

A RuiffedGrouse for Saturday Critters

I saw this Ruffed Grouse sauntering slowly across a country road in a treed area.  I slowed my car to very surely keep close to it taking pictures all the while. It never got scared away at any of the time. 

Locally this bird is known as a Birch Partridge, apparently this is a misnomer.
"

Ruffed grouse - New World Encyclopedia

https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Ruffed_grouse Dec 22, 2008 …" The ruffed grouse is frequently referred to as the "partridge" or as a "birch partridge." This is technically wrong, as partridges are unrelated …"

I am linking today to Eileen's viewingnaturewitheileen.blogspot.ca

chickadee in Window Feeder for Saturday Critters

A delightful way to view birds from my comfy chair inside my house is by using a transparent window feeder.  Th feeder attaches to the outside of the window by a large suction cup.  Only Chickadees have fed there so far this spring but it is an exciting moment when I hear one enter the feeder.  If I do not frighten it away by my movements of taking pictures it will stay there and feed a bit!

I am linking today to Eileen's Saturday Critters blog which can be found at viewingnaturewith Eileen.blogspot.ca

Have a wonderful weekend everyone

I shall be inside today on this rainy Saturday watching my window feeder.  Who knows who or what might show up!?

Mourning Cloak Butterfly for Saturday Critters

I don't know if my words can totally convey the wonderful nature experience that I had this afternoon with a Mourning Cloak butterfly.

After having seen Mourning Cloak butterflies early a few years ago, we learned that this species will fold itself within the bark of some trees and over winter there and emerge when the warmth of the spring season develops. We caught on quickly and noted the locations where we most often saw these butterflies during the early spring months. My favourite location to find them is at the  Homestead Corner at Three Tree Creek. I like to think that perhaps my great great grandparents,  who homesteaded a farm nearby there also experienced the same awe of seeing these beautiful early spring creatures. I saw a butterfly today along the road into their old wood lot. I drove into the road until I saw what I had been looking for:, a Mourning Cloak butterfly! I then backed up my car while maintaining sight of the butterfly. As I could not get a good picture of it taken from my car. I rolled down my car window while maintaining sight of the ever moving butterfly. and then I stopped my car and got out. I momentarily lost sight of the butterfly, but looking down I saw it swirling around my feet and legs. Then suddenly it flew into my car as the car door and window were open. Wow, what a golden photo opportunity! The butterfly stayed on the steering wheel

and I proceeded to take pictures, about 200 or so. The excitement of the opportunity gradually wore off a bit and so I decided to join the butterfly and sit in my car also. My presence behind the steering wheel did not appear to disturb the butterfly at all. We both sat there quietly for ten minutes or so

.After a bit, I decided I should perhaps return home and so I closed the car door. The butterfly noting the change happening flew out the car window. Bye, bye butterfly buddy. It was a great experience.

I am linking today with Eileen's viewingnaturewitheileen.blogspot.ca

Have a lovely rainy weekend folks.

Nature 101, Collective nouns for birds

I have always enjoyed collective nouns as their group names are sometimes very descriptive.  For example, when we first moved to our present home we used to have large groups of noisy Grackles arrive at our home's location  in the spring and perch in out two old Maples trees.  If you're familiar with a Grackle's sound, ? we always described it as a noisy squeaky, rusty gate.  I was slightly embarrassed of the noise and as we fed birds, I was a bit worried that the neighbours would be a bit annoyed at us, for perhaps enticing such a loud , noisy group to our neighbourhood.  Thus, I laughed today when I looked up the collective noun for a group of Grackles and discovered that Yes!   a group of Grackles are described as an annoyance or a plague of Grackles!

The next large group of birds I had found recently were Waxwings. There are two choices for their collective naming.  The first mentioned was an Ear-full of Waxwings. Yes that fits as I remember their sound being that of singing wires  with a slightly high pitch, so that kind of fits for me., The second choice which I have chosen to use here is a Museum of Waxwings.. I can't come up with a reason for this naming but I think it is rather interesting and unique.

My next collective noun applies to a small group of ducks of perhaps only two or three pair.  In this picture of a brace of ducks there was one pair of Mallards that I could see and perhaps a couple of pairs of Black ducks. So the pictures below include a brace of ducks.

 My last example today of a collective noun for a group of birds are Red-winged Blaclbirds.  This species of birds have been a bit elusive for me to find this spring , so this morning when I glimpsed a bit of yellow and red on one of the blackbirds wing. I was very happy about my find.  Collectively this group can be called a Cluster or a Cloud of Red-winged Blackbirds.

Thus, the lesson is Ended!

A Crocus,, our first spring blossom!

Canada Geese for Saturday Critters

Canada Geese have returned!

I am linking today to viewingnaturewitheileen.blogspot.ca

Hooded Merganser for Saturday Critters

The Hooded Mergansers are back but I have only seen the males so far!.I have seen them for two days now, so it should be no problem finding them again this morning. I don’t think I have ever taken a picture of one taking off in flight before until Thursday of this week (shown below). This one probably took off as it looked at me sitting narby with my camera pointed at it!

I am linking today to Eileen’s

viewingnaturewitheilkeen.blogspot.ca.

Have a great day everyone.! I hope to spend part of my day out looking for ducks as the rivers are starting to break up a bit more now.

Family Cats for Saturday Critters

.My daughter has two Maine Coon cats and they are both big gorgeous animals with wonderful, gentle manners.  If anyone is familiar with Maine, you will find the cat's name interesting if you know
some Maine place names.  Lubec is the orange cat and Wiscasset is the other one.

The black cat is our cat. Actually he belonged to our son's family but when they had a new baby  the cat was given to us as it loved jumping in the baby's crib too often.   Our cat's name is "Shakey".

When Shakey arrived in his new home as a kitten, he was quite nervous and was shaking all over, so he became known as" Shakey cat". Shakey is now about 16 years old and is rather standoffish and is not a lapcat, but we love him as he is now ours.

I am linking today to Viewing Nature with Eileen which can be found at viewingnaturewitheileen.blogspot.com

Have a great weekend everyone, it is now March so despite a big storm moving in for the weekend, we can anticipate spring coming along later this month!

First spring duck sighting

common
Merganser , Gondola Point

Maybe a Pine Grosbeak for Saturday Critters.

I'm not totally sure of the id of this bird, but from the shape and size of its beak I am guessing a Grosbeak

 and I am making a guess of a Pine Grosbeak. It has been a few years since we have seen that species in Bird Alley, and I think they are beautiful birds.  The bird that I saw this morning did not stay around long, but here is its picture!

I am linking today to Eileen's Saturday Critters which can be found at viewingnaturewitheileen.blogspot.com

Male Cardinal for Saturday Critters

For two days in a row I have seen this handsome male Cardinal in  Bird Alley, on the tree  branches just outside my window. Both times when I have seen it, it was with a female Cardinaal.

I am posting today to Eileen's Saturday Critters which can be found at; viewingnaturewitheileen.blogspot.ca

A Happy weekend of reasonable weather is wished  for everyone.  We have a noisy strong cold wind blowing just outside pour windows.  Its strength woke me in the night!

Groundhog for Saturday Critters.

Today is Groundhog today, Let’s hope we get a favourable prediction for an early spring

Dear Mr Groundhog, 

Don’t be afraid,

If your shadowy image you see

Please DO NOT FLEE!

Stay around without fear

And let us know that spring is drawing near.

A sunny or cloudy day

Shouldn’t a legend make

For, anyway, many think you’re just a fake

Enjoy your day that’s named just for you

And please give us a good report, please do!

Because dear Mr. Groundhog,

I believe in you.

I am linking today to Eileen's Saturday Critters which can be found at: viewingnaturewitheileen.blogspot.ca

Have a wonderful day everyone and try to stay Warm!

I 

common Redpoll

It has been several winter seasons since I have seen beautiful little Common Redpolls! This week there were

a few feeding on the snow-covered ground in Bird Alley! I love the sight of their pink dusted breasts

 I am linking today to Eileen's Saturday Critters which can be found atviewingnaturewitheileen.blogspot.ca

.

female northern Cardinal

We are fortunate to host a pair of northern Cardinal in Bird Alley. The female visits and feeds most often but occasionally the male makes its presence known also.They are both such startling beautiful birds and it always a delight when they show up!